El Fuego vs Spitfire

12-22-2011, 07:56 AM

Hey People

I've been riding a Spitfire for a while now and have been thinking about changing to a Fuego

My question is, would the Fuego be better suited to me and my local waves??

I surf in poor waves most of the time, small, fat and plenty of close out sections!! Also I tend to surf a bit more casual these days, not aggresive like what the Spitfire calls for, also I'm not gettingin every week so it would be nice to jump on something that just gets into every wave going.

If any one has surfed both and has an opinion I would like to hear about It

hey benjamin, they are both really good boards that are conducive to slightly different styles. I think the El Fuego is good for a more front footed surfer in flatter surf where your maneuvers are a bit longer and more drawn out. The spitfire, in my opinion, likes a bit more punch and is a good go-to board when the wave has a little more steepness.

Keep in mind they are both hybrids so they like similar size surf...these are just subtleties that differentiate them from one another.

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I have this same question. i am about to order a spitfire but am stoked to change volumes from my 6'8" alt. i'll need to go 2L's higher or lower with a spit but the 6'3" el fuego is the same float which i think i'd like. they don't give much info on it but that it compliments the dominator. what's the difference? less rocker from what chris is saying?

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The El Fuego is a little flatter, it surfs a little more down the line whereas the Spitfire lets you surf a little more vertical in the pocket. The El Fuego also has the wide point a little further forward which makes it surf a little more down the line off the front foot, whereas the Spitfire has the wide point more central. Both are great boards for average to better conditions.
The El Fuego would be a lot of fun in racy closeout beach breaks I reckon. It'd fly down the line pumping over the front foot and then be great for one big whack or launch off the end section.
The Spitfire is great for that too but it's going to surf a little bit tighter in the pocket and allow for several vertical hits or tighter turns down the line. The El Fuego would also be a lot of fun in more open faced points where you get a bit more time to draw out your turns and wrap back into the section.

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thanks prj web. i should have just started by asking you what i should get :) i'm 44 yo, 6'3" 205 lbs, surfing 6 days a week for the last 32 months. i've slowly worked my way down to a 6'8" alternator (40L) and think it's a perfect float for me. ( i had 6'6" spit (45L) which got to be too much float for me. i now have a 6'2" (38L) spit in mexico which i've only gotten to surf a few times. it feels a little too small for me but i can make it work if it's really clean. i also have a 6'4" stealth (38L) which i can make work on glassy clean days but isn't forgiving enough for me on choppy junk days. i though that was going to be my junk day board but i've been surfing the 6'8" alt because i can't make the stealth work for me in this chop (i think the float is an issue)

i'm in the sf bay area so i surf OB in the fall or when it's good. otherwise, i surf cronkite which is a punchy beach break with a lot of chop and back wash and close outs. i surf a 6'8" alternator and really like it a lot in bigger/ better conditions but want something better suited for the garbage days.

- i was thinking 6'4 spit over 6'4" dom since my break is really punchy even when small and i might get some surprise turns off the top. however, i'm a little worried about going higher in volume and noticed the 6'3" el fuego is the exact volume of my alt and i wasn't sure how much difference there was in the boards. i feel like i would love a 40L spit but don's want to wait to order it :)

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prj web. these are the waves. this is not me but the break. sadly, this is pretty good day for spring or summer. i'm maybe 20 - 30 percent better than this guy. i do manage more turns and try to hit the lip when i can but it's easy to look awkward on these waves :)

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If you're surfing steep sucky stuff, the El Fuego has a flat rocker so it can make later drops a little more challenging. On the other side of the coin, it's flatter entry rocker allows you to get in a little earlier potentially eliminating that late drop.

Looking at the volumes you've been riding, there shouldn't be massive difference in those 2 litres of volume so it makes me wonder if it's the shorter length that's the issue. That said, the Stealth is quite a refined and high performance board so I can see why that isn't working too well for you in junky days.

I think in choppier waves, especially dealing with backwash the Spitfire would probably be a more forgiving option. I don't know your local waves though so hopefully someone who does can chime in with how they feel the El Fuego would work in those conditions.

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prj web. these are the waves. this is not me but the break. sadly, this is pretty good day for spring or summer. i'm maybe 20 - 30 percent better than this guy. i do manage more turns and try to hit the lip when i can but it's easy to look awkward on these waves :)

Just saw your video, looks like it'd be a lot of fun for either board. I'd think of it this way. If you want to take off, drop straight down, bottom turn and come back up into a turn off the top, the Spitfire is a good pick. If you'd be taking off at more of an angle and getting away down the line and looking for some floaters or lip bashes the El Fuego is going to love it.
That's not to say either board wouldn't work for the other approach, but it's just an easy distinction to make between the boards.

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great advice. thanks! i should have mentioned that was pretty high tide looking. it's usually snappier than that. i think since they're usually shorter rides with more vertical faces (one quick snap and it's over) i'll go spit based on your advice. thanks!!!!

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First, and this is just my uncharitable opinion, but that guy in the video is a classic case of someone who would benefit far more from the stable platform of a hybrid than try to surf a classic shortboard.

Scott, I surf the 6'4" Dom and 6'8" Alt. I really don't notice the volume difference between the two, and in any event you want a tad more volume for smaller days - that or more surface area (or both).

I agree either a Spit or EF would both work with those waves but I personally think a Spit is likely to be a more versatile board. The EF has a VERY flat rocker, which makes it fast, but less forgiving.

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I'm looking at the waves in that video and thinking the EF would be a blast on them! One of the differences you may find between the EF and the Alt at the same volume is that the EF will excel at dropping into the kind of waves that would normally push you out the back. One of the spots I surf is notoriously fat in the takeoff zone and getting pushed out the back is par for the course. When I am on the EF I can pop up, put a bit of weight on my front foot and shoot down the face. It is a very cool thing. On my other boards I am either paddling like mad and popping up late or hopping like mad on the top of the wave just to get in - and even then it doesn't work lots of times. Once up and running the EF is really responsive, assuming you get your feet placed right, surprisingly so given how often people like to say it is a "down the line" board. Granted, it is a down the line board, but it is not all that difficult to get it vertical if you want. The board is insanely fast. I wonder if the speed the board inherently generates is precisely what makes people think it likes longer lines. Too often when I hear that a board "likes longer lines" I equate that with a nice way of saying "it doesn't like to turn." This is entirely NOT the case with the EF. Rapid changes in direction (which the board does well) just tend to be father apart on the wave since the board accelerates so quickly in between moves. Makes sense to me anyway. I think fin choice has a lot to do with it as well.